Elemental Goddess
by x Ruby Dust x
Summary: the fire elemental struggles on Earth when her father, Zeus, takes away her powers. what will she do? How can her brother, Lightning, help her? main villain Red X. Villainhero romance eventually. some RobinOC, small RobinStarfire too.
1. Prolog

**Elemental Goddess**

**Prolog:** Blaze opened her eyes and tried to adjust herself to the feeling of being whole. Zeus, king of the gods, and her father sent her to earth on her request. She had never been flesh before. Usually her days of being the fire elemental consisted of floating joyfully in an inferno. Now she was covered in taunt, pale flesh, and clothing. She was wearing a Pink and black long sleeved shirt which revealed entirely too much of her midriff. Her pants were long and baggy, and held up with a belt studded with some kind of stones. Then her shoes. She had thought she looked completely ridiculous, but no one seemed to notice.

Her skin was warm when she touched it. That was because it was only hiding her true power inside. If she wanted to, she could ignite herself on fire and think nothing of it. The people might be a little startled though.

In her home on Mount Olympus, she would watch the mortals all day, wondering what it was like to be one. Now, although her father had refused to make her mortal, she could be among them and see first hand what it was like. It was her dream come true.

Her brothers, Thunder and Lightning, had been with these people many times and had suggested that their baby sister see what it was like for herself. They said they had friends that she was supposed to meet. Someone called the Teen Titans. She had never heard of anything like that before but agreed to see them. The only problem was, their home was surrounded by water.

Blaze couldn't touch even a drop of water without seriously doing damage to herself. She was pure flame, and water extinguishes that flame.

Not to worry though. Even though she was a goddess and an elemental, Blaze had a few tricks up her sleeve. When she was born, as a gift, she was bestowed with the ability to bend light. Of course this was just an amusement on Mount Olympus, but down here it was a way to create force fields.

Blaze extended her hand towards the ground. Beneath her feet appeared a disk of pink color. It rose slowly as she floated on top of it. Easy transportation, she thought as she hovered high enough so not to get splashed by the waves.


	2. Becoming A Titan

**Chapter One:BecomingA Titan**

It had been close to a whole year since Blaze had come to Titans Tower, and she was still not a member of the group. She had patience, though.

The day she had met them, they had been practicing out on the obstacle course like they were now. Everyone of the had a great amount of power, Blaze could sense it. All except Robin. Robin had no power, but what he lacked he made up in heart. She had to admit, Blaze had taken quite a liking to him, and he seemed to want to reach out to her more than the other members.

She now sat in her room, watching them practice. It was slightly raining, so she couldn't join them. Blaze had gotten so caught up in Beast Boy's run, she had hardly noticed Robin step into her room and sit down next to her. He inched himself away, seeing his costume was wet.

"It's starting to ease up," he announced, trying to dry himself off.

"I can see." Blaze mumbled in response. She hugged her knees to her chest and turned to him. "Robin you don't have to be so careful with me. I'm sure I can handle one drop of water."

"I don't want to take any chances. We like our newest members to be in top shape," he smiled.

Her eyes grew wide and a smile wiped across her face, "Really!" Robin produced a communicator and handed it to her.

"Welcome to the team."

Blaze jumped up and threw her arms around Robin's neck. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she screamed, getting up and dancing around.

Her attitude had changed a lot since becoming flesh a year ago. She was more care-free, more fun-loving. Maybe that's why she got along with Beast Boy and Starfire so much. But she was also deeply interested in learning about mortal ways. The devices they had created to make life easier, fascinated her. That's were Cyborg came in. And Raven has warmed up to her. She even let Blaze in her room once, but she was strictly supervised and it was only for a minute. And finally Robin. Robin had introduced her to music and taught her how to dance. Maybe this is why she like him most.

"Don't thank me," Robin laughed, watching her. The rest of the group had come into her room now and was also laughing (Raven only cracking the slightest of smiles). Starfire joined in Blaze's celebration. "You earned it."

"Time for dinner!" Beast Boy announced, "I'm thinking veggie burgers." But before he could get out of the door, the alarm was going off.

They all rushed to the living room to check out the screen. There was a distress signal coming from a jewelry store somewhere in the city. Blaze studied the image. "Red X." Cyborg sighed, checking where the call was coming from.

"Titans, go!" Robin commanded, each of them taking off at a sprint.


	3. Introduction of the Villain

**Chapter 2: Introduction of the Villain.**

Blaze knew all about Red X. The team had told her stories of all their adventures, but his stuck out the most. Robin was desperate to find out who he was, and everyone else just wanted to know who's side he was on. She also knew that Red X had a utility belt full of gadgets made especially for everyone's power. Except hers. She was their secret weapon this time, and she couldn't be more excited.

They stood together out on the street, waiting for Red X to make his appearance. He came out of the shop, a bulgy bag in hand. No doubt it was filled with all kinds of expensive jewelry. Blaze used her gift to make thelight screenshe floated on before, and rose in the air in front of the others, turning to them. "Can I please!" she begged.

"Go for it," Robin smiled, he too turned to face the rest, "Stand down team."

Blaze nodded and turned toward Red X. She was smiling, she couldn't help it. "And who are you?" Red X asked, apparently not noticing the rest of the group. Blaze was mocking him. She formed a fireball in her hand and was throwing it up and down. Red X dropped the bag and got into a 'pouncing' position. "You know what happens when you play with fire, right?"

"Yeah. But since I _am_ fire, you're the one getting burned." She laughed. Red X snatched up the bag and turned to run away, but he smacked right into a pink light screen Blaze had created. He was now inside a ring of fire a mile high. He watched as Blaze walked right through it. She took her communicator out and opened it. "Good enough?" she asked as the other appeared on the small, round screen.

"Good work." Robin smirked, followed by cheering from everyone else. "You wanna keep the 'containment thing' going until the police get here?"

"Sure. I'll meet you guys later."

"WHO WANTS PIZZA!" Beast Boy and Cyborg screamed in unison in the background. Blaze closed her communicator and took a seat on her floating disk.

"New member of the Titans, huh? Guess I'll have to update my belt." Red X gave up. There was no way out of the ring without being scorched. He dropped the bag and also sat on the ground. "You know I'll be out of jail as soon as I get in, right?"

"I'll just have to catch you then, too." she sighed, studying him. His build was similar to Robin's. It had to be, he stole the suit from Robin.

"We'll see, princess." he mumbled as he stood back up.

Blaze stood on her disk and had it float to the ground. He was taller than her, so she couldn't stare him in the eye like she wanted, but she still got in his face. "Don't call me that!" He could see sparks in her eyes.

"Well you are the daughter of Zeus, right?" he folded his arms and stepped back.

"How did you know that?" But before he could answer, she heard the police sirens just outside the ring. "Wait here. Not that you have a choice." Blaze growled, walking through it once again. The policemen where in awe of the sight. She shook her head at them gawking, then slowly lowered the flames. Red X was no where to be found. "How did he,. . ." but she was to aggravated to finish her sentence.


	4. Introduction to Pizza!

**Chapter Three: Introduction to Pizza!**

Blaze had never tried pizza. As she stared at the greasy triangle of cheese and tomato laying on the counter before her, she couldn't help but feel a little sick. "Trust me, it's delicious." Beast Boy beamed as he leaned over he shoulder and waited for her to take a bite.

"Nothin' better than the ultimate cheese pizza." Cyborg leaned over the other shoulder.

"I also must say that it is quite delightful." Starfire was across from her.

Blaze winced as she picked up the food and watched most of the cheese slide off. Slowly, she put the tip to her mouth and took the smallest bite possible. They were right, it wasn't bad. Actually, it was really good. She hurriedly ate the rest and watched the joy on the others faces as she savored it.

"Blaze, can you come here?" Robin was standing in the threshold of the hallway, "I'd like to show you something."

She got up and followed him. He led her into a room where the walls were covered in the pictures of the different villains the storied had been about. There were gadgets and articles of clothing scattered across the floor on random pedestals. "What is this place?"

"It's the evidence room. I spend most of my time here." Robin smirked, watching her expression. He was amused at her amusement. "So, . . . he got away? Wouldn't be the first time."

"I guess, but I just don't understand. I'm pretty new here, but I haven't seen any mortal walk through fire without a trace."

"Well that's why I come in here. To figure that stuff out."

"And does that usually work?"

"Not always. But you have to look deeper at the situation. Red X was robbing a jewelry store, why?" Robin began to pace.

"I thought he wasn't really a villain? I thought you said he was just an un-common thief?" Robin didn't answer. She knew that answer he would give because it's something he tells her every now and then.

"Robin, Cyborg says it's your night to wash dishes." Raven appeared after the 'swish' of the air-locked door signaled her arrival. Robin nodded and walked past her. "I don't admit this much and if you tell anyone I did I'll deny it, but you did pretty well for your first time."

"Thanks." Blaze was a bit shocked that Raven had stayed to talk to her. Normally Raven was always locked away in her room. What she did in there, Blaze wasn't sure of.

"You have power."

"Thanks." She wasn't sure what to say other than that. Raven saw her discomfort and turned to leave but Blaze put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. Realizing that this may have been a mistake, she quickly withdrew her hand. Raven turned around, looking a little annoyed. "Sorry, but I wanted to tell you that I was watching you at practice yesterday. I mean, not watching, but paying attention. I admire your skill and talent. And, well, I was just wondering, . . . is it hard to learn magic like that?"

Raven's face softened. Actually if you looked really close she almost, kind of, sort of, in a way, smiled. "At first, but then you get the hang of it. Maybe one day I'll teach you something. How to levitate a pencil or whatever." she was about to leave and walk back down the hall, but Raven turned around once again. "You want some more pizza? Cyborg always orders to much."

Blaze smiled and nodded. "Sure, although it didn't seem to healthy."

"It's not. But it's alright."

Starfire appeared behind them. She was hovering in the air with a grin on her face as far as her mouth would curve. "Oh Blaze, you must come quickly. Your picture is to be on the television!"

"Me?"

"Probably for today. It was pretty cool what you did." Cyborg and the rest walked behind her. "We're all goin' to watch it. Come on."

Starfire wasn't lying. Once they all got situated on the couch and decided who was going to get the remote (Raven ended up using her magic to levitate it in the air so no one could get it. That way they wouldn't fire over it.), they turned on the television and watched as Blaze's picture filled the screen. Raven turned the volume up and a news announcer's voice filled the room.

"And people watched in amazement as this obviously new member of the Titans caught the burglar using her amazing powers. She created a fire wall in the form of a circle around him that reached incredible heights. A mathematician who witnessed this event, estimated that the flame reached about twenty stories high!"

The t.v. showed people watching from their apartment buildings in awe as fire rose from nowhere. Then disappointed when they saw it go down. Next it showed Blaze's frustration as Red X was nowhere in sight.

"Everyone's asking the same questions, though. Who is this new heron, where did she come from, and what other amazing powers can she show us"

Raven clicked off the t.v. as the news anchor disappeared and a different show came on. She set the remote on the table. Cyborg jumped up and ran to give Blaze a slap on the back, "Pretty cool, huh!" he celebrated.

She looked at Robin, who was still staring at the television screen. The rest moved their celebration over to the rest of the pizza, but Blaze stayed. She moved closer to him on the couch and sighed. "You see it, too?"

"Yeah. He didn't walk through the fire. He disappeared in thin air."


	5. Fire In Her Eyes

**Chapter Four: Fire In Her Eyes **

Blaze had woken up early the next morning. Earlier then the rest, at least. She quietly went into the kitchen to make herself some coffee and grab something to eat. She took her breakfast and went back into her room. Blaze like to spend most of her time there. She would turn on her radio, and sit on a over-sized couch facing the window to watch the sunrise.

There was something wrong this morning, however. Putting her coffee down on a table and placing her muffin next to it, she drew open the curtains. There was something moving down by the water. She couldn't quite make it out because she was so far up. But whatever she was watching, it was watching her, too.

Remembering a promise she made to Robin about never going to the shoreline by herself, she ran to his room. She pounded feverishly on his door then paused, hoping to hear any kind of movement from inside. Pressing her ear to the door, she was startled as the air-lock door flew open and she fell forward. Robin, even though disoriented from his previous sleep state, caught her and held her up. "Blaze," he yawned as he helped her into a vertical position, "training isn't for another three hours."

"I know, Robin," she paused looking at him apologetically for waking him up and for almost knocking him over, "There was someone outside. He was _watching _me."

Robin shook the 'sleepies' from his head and grabbed her hand, racing to her room. She was right, there was someone precariously sitting on the rocks and watching them through the window. "Should we wake everyone else?" Blaze asked, noticing the Robin still had a firm grasp on her hand. She didn't object.

"No, there's no time. Whoever that is has probably seen me with you." Robin headed for the door and ran down the hall towards the living room.

"Robin!" Blaze screamed after him, stopping just outside her door. He skidded to a halt just as he was about to turn the corner.

"What?"

"It's faster to use the roof." she pointed to a staircase in the distance behind her. "I can take us down."

"Oh, . . . right."

They were up on the roof in moments. Blaze stepped off the side of the building. In mid-step, a pink platform appeared under her foot. Each time she stepped on the free air, another platform appeared, creating a kind of stairway.

Halfway down, Blaze her eyes set on the figure sitting on the rocks. It hadn't moved, even though it had seen them coming. Very soon she was aware that Robin wasn't following her. She stopped and turned on the step she was at. "Robin, come on!"

It wasn't like Robin to hesitate. Then again, he had never stepped on thin air with only a color to hold him up before. Blaze was yelling at him, but he still didn't want to go forward. "Will it hold me?" he asked, yelling back at her.

"It's holding me, isn't it!" She was becoming frustrated. This wasn't like Robin at all, and it shocked her.

"That's different, you're the one creating it!"

"I won't let you fall Robin! I promise!

He took a step. His foot was firmly planted on the pink. This was all the evidence he need. He took one step carelessly after the other as he raced down to her. Once he was on the same step as her, he noticed the figure beginning to move.

Blaze noticed it too. She also noticed that the figure watching her in her room was Red X. He moved from his seat and pulled something from his utility belt. He held it up to them, and they watched as it expanded into as large disc. Then he threw it in front of him and stepped onto it.

"I hope you don't mind," he laughed. It was almost mechanical. "I liked that little pink thing you pulled last time, so I made a version of it for myself."

Robin was jutted forward as Blaze held out her hand and broke off the step they were standing on. It turned into her disc as she made it accelerate towards him. "Hold on," she told Robin through gritted teeth. Red X was getting under her skin, Robin could tell. It was the same way he felt about the thief.

Red X rose in the air on his solid disc and floated just above the water. "I bet you can't come down here," he taunted, sitting on his disk and placing a hand in the water. "Too bad, cause it's really nice."

"How did he know that?" Blaze asked herself out loud. She hadn't noticed, but they were quite a way out from the tower. Red X confused her. She didn't like him. He was making her mad. Madder than she ever felt before. Her fury was showing through her eyes. She felt herself igniting on fire. Within seconds, her whole body was engulfed in flames. Sparks were shooting everywhere. Blaze felt herself go into a trace-like state, fixing her eyes on the thief.

Robin had backed away from her, forgetting they were on the disc and not the stairs. He fell backwards into the water, and the current was pulling him under. Blaze heard the splash and let her fire burn out. She turned to face him, watching him struggle to keep his head above water. She was helpless, panicked. She wanted to dive in after him, but was aware of what would happen to her if she did.

Blaze felt a blow from behind. It startled her, making her lose her concentration. Her pink screen failed, causing her to fall.


	6. Extinguished

**Chapter Five: Extinguished **

Plunging into the raging water, Blaze struggled to catch light. She was hoping that somehow she could bend enough of the air to help pull herself out. It was no use. The pain was too unbearable. Her skin was disintegrating before her eyes, flames still struggling against it's nemesis. The water was sinking into every cavity in her body. She tried to scream, to release some of the pain. It didn't work. She only inhaled more water. It was inside her now, in her core. Her fire was burning out, and her light was fading.

She couldn't tell whether she was sinking further or if her eyes were just failing. It was getting dark. She couldn't ignore the pain. It was engulfing her. She couldn't see anymore. Only feel. The pain and the agony, but something else. Something was pulling on the back of her neck. It didn't help. Whoever was tugging at her couldn't save her now. "Robin," she managed one more whisper as she faded into the darkness.

_Robin! Where's Robin!_

_Her father was there, Zeus, sitting on his golden thrown. He didn't say a word, just pointed underneath her feet. She was floating on a cloud. It wasn't her though. No more skin, no more clothes. Just burning fury. She didn't even have a specific form anymore. _

_I want to see where Robin is!_

_Zeus stood, waving his hand in front of him. Robin's picture appeared in front of him. he was still underwater, but here was no movement. He was still conscious, but he had been down there for so long._

_Wait. Who's pulling him out?_

"_The same person who tried to save you." Zeus roared, yielding his daughter in his hand. "The one who pushed you in."_

_Thenwhosaved me?_

"_I did. I brought you back to Mount Olympus. You are safe, but only barely. Must of your previous self I could not save."_

_She did seem lighter floating. _

_No! I want to go back! Please, father! I want to go back!_

"_Why would you want to go back there? Haven't I made it enjoyable for you here at home?"_

_Father, I must go back! Please. Give me skin, give me hair, give me my life back. _

_Zeus frowned. He didn't like the idea, but he had seen her fate. She was right, she was needed on Earth more than here. "Very well. Produce your screen around yourself."_

_What?_

" _When you came home, I had to take you back in time to right before you fell. I had to save you that way. To spare the fabrics of time, you can bend the light around yourself now and I will place you right where you were when you fell. You will not die this time."_

_I died?_

"_Do as I say!" _

_She did. Her light screen appeared in a ball around her._

Water was rushing towards her. She plunged into the water, and breathed a sigh of relief when her light screen (more like ball), withstood the initial blow of the raging water.

Blaze frantically searched for Robin. She could see him. He was being pulled out by Red X, who flung Robin's limp body onto his disc and then came in her direction. Blaze rose in her ball. "Try copying this!" she yelled towards him. Red X was in awe, possibly thinking about how he could copy it.

Blaze aloud a hole to form in the pink light, she stuck her hand out of it and shot an inferno right at the thief. It his him square on, but when she withheld it, he had once again vanished.

Robin was falling again. This time Blaze caught him, and directed both Robin and herself towards the shore. Once on land, she gently placed Robin down in the sand. She didn't know how hurt her was, if at all. He was unconscious at this point, dwindling between dream and reality. She needed to get help, to wake the others. But she was so tired. She tried to make it up the slope to the tower, but collapsed before reaching it.

Did I really die?

Note:

I do realize that this chapter is extremly, extremly short. i don't understand why, but it is really difficult to write long chapters for teen titans. at least for me it is. i know some of you are aggrivated by this, but believe me, i am too. please be patient, i'm trying to work on it.

i hope the drama makes up for the shortness, at least a little.


	7. Fire Prevention

**Chapter Six:** **Fire Prevention **

Raven was there, watching her. "I said I'm fine! Go, do something fun." Blaze was in her own bed, exhausted and a bit perturbed. Someone was always in her room. She just wanted to be left alone.

"I don't _do _fun." Raven crossed her arms as she levitated off the ground. "I'm not going anywhere."

Blaze threw her head back in frustration. _Just leave me alone!_ She was screaming inside. She felt like it wasn't even safe to think. That someone, somewhere was reading her thoughts. So many questions floated through her head.

How did he know I couldn't touch water?

Why did he try to save Robin?

_Was_ he saving Robin?

Whatever the answers were, she didn't know. And she wouldn't be able to find out sitting in this goddam bed!

Robin was up and about. He came and relieved Raven of her watch duties. "Feeling better?" he asked, sitting on the bed next to her.

"Yes and no. Yes because I'm not so tired anymore. No because I have to stay here. Why do I have to stay here again?" She threw the blankets off her. She was completely dressed and ready to go.

"Just a safety precaution." Robin became very silent and awkward. He sat there, staring into out space. "We've never dealt with someone with powers like you and, . . ." he stopped.

"I know what you want to talk about." Blaze finally broke the silence.

"I just want to know how he keeps vanishing into nothing. You said you hit him with everything you had? Why wasn't he, . . ."

"Burnt toast? I don't know."

"I wouldn't out it so bluntly, but yeah." Robin had sprawled out across the bottom of her bed. Apparently he was still a bit fatigued as well. "I know you're not going to like it, but I have Cyborg working on some extra security cameras to watch on you."

"Like a 'big brother' sort of thing? No way, Robin." She had gotten up. Robin realized that she needed to vent, so he let her.

There was more silence. With every passing moment, Blaze was calming herself down. But the same questions kept racking her brain. She could hear Red X's voice. He was mocking her, testing her limits. He had pushed her as far as she could go . . . death.

Robin watched her pace. The last time he had seen her so mad, she had lit herself on fire and thrown Robin into the water. _Her emotions are dangerous, but why isn't she on fire now?_ He reached for a candle next to her bed and popped open the lid. "Blaze."

She heard him calling, but was too annoyed to answer. She kept pacing. He was holding out a candle to her. Telling her to light it. Repeating her name over and over again. "WHAT!" she exploded.

Robin was taken aback. She apologized for yelling and calmed herself down once again, determined to stay that way. "Please, I just want to see something."

She took the candle from him, placing her hand over the opening. She tried to let some fire escape from her palm long enough to light the stupid thing, but nothing happened. She tried again with the same result. Attempt after attempt was a complete failure. She couldn't light the candle.

In fear, she dropped it, watching the glass shatter on the floor. Tears were streaming down her face. _Water in my eyes? What is this?_ She was so confused, she was scared. "What's happening to me?" she cried. Robin pulled her to him, letting her cry. "What is this? Why aren't my powers working?"

Robin had his own theory, but he didn't want to scare her more than she was already. He hugged her closer.

It was Starfire's turn to sit with Blaze. She carefully approached the door. Pushing to door only so slightly sp she could peek her head in, she saw Robin with his arms around a hysterical Blaze. Starfire slid the door open farther. "Robin? Blaze? What is the matter?"

Robin waved her off, signaling for her to wait in the hall. Starfire didn't like this. She saw how upset Blaze was, but was a bit angry that Robin happened to be the one comforting her. Starfire didn't like this at all.

Blaze was aware that Starfire was waiting. She pushed Robin away from her and curled up into a ball on her bed. "Please. . ." she sobbed, "I just want to be alone."

"I don't think that's a . . ."

"Robin, please."

Robin nodded, whipping the tears from her eyes. Blaze liked being with Robin, but she knew that Starfire and him had 'a thing' going on; at least that's how she thought mortals put it. A year on Earth and she had learned about so much, but she knew that you couldn't learn about love. That was something that you had to experience. Blaze knew that Starfire was experiencing it, and didn't want to ruin it for her.


	8. The Dream

**Chapter Seven: The Dream**

Blaze tossed in her bed. She watched the numbers on her clock change. One, two, three, four, . . . it seemed to never end. Every couple of minutes she would snap her fingers, hoping to see the sparks that flew from the action. Nothing happened.

She could still bend light, but only barely. That was a gift bestowed upon her, her light screens could never go away unless taken away by the giver. At least she still had that.

Blaze needed to sleep. She had training practice in the morning, not that it mattered. Without her powers, she couldn't do very much.

4:15 a.m.

Her eyes closed.

She was in a white room. The room transformed. It was no longer just a white room. There was Titans Tower in the distance.

_Where am I?_

Blaze looked down. There was Robin and Red X. They were walking on the water, fighting each other. Kicking and punching, Blaze watched as the two beat the hell out of one another. They were saying something. What was it?

There was a flash and she was closer. Almost too close. She was standing eye level with them, watching to two. She could hear them now.

"She loves me!"

"No she loves me!"

_Quite original, _she frowned. What was this? She was vaguely aware this was a dream, but she wasn't sure why she was dreaming it. "HEY!" she yelled out to them.

They stopped with their death match, turning to her. Once they stopped moving, they fell into the water. Blaze had seen this all before. Wrong, she had seen this happen to Robin before. They were struggling against the waves, unable to keep their heads above water.

Not caring that it was all an illusion, Blaze went to help them. The closer she got to Robin, the farther Red X sank below the water. The more she moved towards Red X, Robin would sink.

That was the point of her dream. She had to choose between Robin and Red X. But it was more complicated than that. She had to choose between building more questions and keeping her life the way it was or finding the answers and changing her life forever.

**hey everyone, i know i said i wouldn't be writing (side note: thank you for all your concerned e-mails) but i had a creative breakthrough. so i popped some pain pills and braved the stairs to get to my computer. i hope it was worth it. Please R&R, it helps with the creativity flow. **

**p.s. for those who asked, my surgury isn't for another two weeks, the day after school starts (for my school at least) but i'm hoping to keep writing meanwhile. i'm sick of the television already. i swear the boob-tube is melting my brain!**


	9. Facade

**Chapter Eight: Facade**

Blaze woke up screaming. Not in fear, but in frustration. She couldn't remember who she chose, if she saved anyone at all. She checked the clock again.

1:37 p.m.

She leaped out of bed and ran to open her curtains. The team was still down on the obstacle course. Practice was still in session. Blaze hurriedly got dressed and went to join them.

"Hey! Why didn't you guys wake me?" She was walking down the slope to the shore.

It was Starfire's turn. She was doing so-so on the course, but when she saw Robin walking towards Blaze, she gave it all she had. Shooting one starbolt after another in a rapid fire, screaming at the intensity of the situation, she battled for Robin's attention. Starfire didn't want to look to see if it was working.

The rest of the team had joined Robin, running to Blaze's side. "I wasn't sure whether you'd be up for this." Robin was rubbing the back of his neck. Raven glared at him. She was annoyed that she didn't know what he was talking about.

"Why wouldn't she be?" Beast Boy tilted his head in curiosity as he leaned on one of her shoulders.

Blaze added to Raven's glare. Only this was a 'I can't believe you didn't tell them' glare. "Robin?"

"I thought you should be the one to tell them." he rushed to save himself.

Blaze grunted. This isn't what she came out here for. "Fine. I. . . I don't have my powers anymore."

They were taken back by her outward way of putting it. Each of them let out a gasp in surprise, all except for Robin and Starfire. Starfire had joined them in time for Blaze's confession, but she wasn't as startled as the rest. Maybe because she wasn't fully aware of what Blaze had said. Starfire was more concerned about the look of disappointment on Robin's face.

"Well then, . . . now that you know, what do you guys say for some lunch?"

This brightened some faces. "Well, I am hungry!" BB celebrated.

Cyborg was the first to start back up the slope. Beast Boy right after him, and Robin and Raven after that. Starfire was about to follow, but Blaze caught her.

"Star? Can I talk to you?" Her hand resting on Starfire's shoulder was drenched with sweat. "Just for a second? I promise we'll catch up." Star didn't look too happy, but crossed her arms and listened.

Blaze was becoming nervous. She knew that she should tell someone about what really happened while she was in the water, but she wanted it to be Robin. But Starfire was so mad. Maybe if Blaze told her first, she would understand why she had broken down the other day.

Blaze took a deep breath and started pacing nervously. "Okay, it's like this, Star. See, I know you saw Robin hug me the other day, and I remember the discussion we had a while ago about how you felt about him, so I thought I'd clear everything up so you wouldn't be mad anymore."

"I'm not mad." Starfire tried to sound care-free and casual, but it wasn't working.

"Yes, you are." Blaze nodded, taking one more breath and continuing, "Starfire, I never really told anyone what happened the other day."

"You lost your powers."

"No, . . .well yes, but no. See, there's a reason I lost my powers. I didn't want to tell anyone because I didn't want to worry you guys."

"Worry us with what?"

"Starfire, I died." Blaze blurted out. The realization hit her as the words came out of her mouth. Blaze took a step back and covered her mouth with her hands, eyes wide and soaked with tears.

Starfire wasn't sure what to say. She stood there in awe, looking Blaze up and down. "But, you are right here, are you not?"

"Yes I am but... look at me Starfire."

"I am."

"No, I mean really look at me. What do you see?"

"I see... hair and clothing and skin and..."

"There, stop right there. You see skin. Starfire, my skin isn't real. I don't have muscle and organs and all the other stuff mortals have. Inside this shell, inside my 'skin', it's hollow. That's where my essence is. That's where my fire is. The skin is only a facade, a optical illusion. It doesn't trap my fire in, it's just there." Blaze stopped to let Starfire process this all. "When I fell in the water, my skin dissolved and my fire was exposed to the water. And I think we all know what happens when you dump water on fire."

"But you are right here. How could you have died?"

"Only for a moment. See, an elemental isn't supposed to die. That's why we're immortal. If an elemental truly dies, the whole history of Earth is changed. If I died, fire would no longer be part of everyday life. So my father, well, he knows this. With the help of the other gods, he turned back time and brought me back to life. That's why I'm here now."

Starfire had to admit that she wasn't mad anymore. Blaze could see it in her eyes. That's the thing about mortals. Their emotions were always visible through their eyes. Starfire no longer held a grudge against her, as Blaze had hoped, but now she saw that Starfire was holding pity for her. She didn't necessarily like that either.

Beast Boy had come running down the slope. "Hey, come on you two! There's a crime goin on somewhere!"

"Red X?" Blaze hadn't noticed, but her tone was hopeful.

"Naw, I think Robin said something about the H.I.V.E. five. Minus Jinx, that is. Come on, let's go!" Beast boy morphed into some type of large bird and headed back to the roof of the tower. He grabbed Cyborg in his talons and began flying across the water. Upon further examination, Blaze could see Raven hovering over the side next to Robin.

Starfire began to fly up to him. She stopped when she noticed Blaze wasn't following. "Are you not coming?"

"No. I'm no use to you guys now. Go ahead and play the hero."

"Are you sure of this?"

"Starfire, go!" Blaze laughed, picking up a small pebble and playfully throwing it at her. Starfire took the hint and went to grab Robin before following Beast boy and Cyborg.


	10. Learn to Fight

**Chapter Nine: Learn to Fight**

Blaze had the entire tower to herself and she hadn't the faintest idea of what to do. Then she saw it. The gaming station.

Too many times had Blaze asked to play with Cyborg and Beast boy, and every time the answer was the same. "You play winner." Usually the two would rematch until Blaze lost all interest, or they would begin to fight and Robin would make them turn it off. That, or Raven would levitate it so they couldn't reach.

Cyborg and Beast boy weren't here now. Now it was Blaze's turn. She took a seat on the squishy couch and flipped on the button clearly labeled: ON/OFF. She was sucked into a world of virtual reality as music blasted from the surround sound speakers. A car appeared on screen. She picked up the controller and examined it.

Pressing certain buttons made different noises. Others did nothing. She glanced up. There was a countdown. Three...Two...One... the car started moving. Blaze panicked. She pressed as many buttons as her hands could reach. The car jumped around for a while before hitting another car, spinning out of control, and catching on fire.

"You want to steer with those buttons." Blaze dropped the controller and spun around fast enough to make her head spin. Red X bent over her, watching to screen. "It's starting again." He pointed out.

She quickly tapped the ON/OFF button once more and saw the screen go blank. "How'd you get in here?" she wasn't sure whether she was frightened or annoyed. Frightened because he had been the one to push her in the water. Annoyed because he was watching her again.

"Real easy. Boy Wonder and the others are out on their little "mission" so I just walked right past the camera. Once you crack the security code, it's a breeze. By the way, where you aware that the code was the number to pizza place in the city? Who was the pea-brain that thought of that?"

"Sorry, wrong question. I meant to ask what the hell you thought you were doing?" she snapped. She was on her feet, but she wasn't sure when she actually stood up.

"I'm here to bother you. Isn't it obvious?" Blaze was sure that under his mask, he was smiling. She wasn't amused. "Okay fine. Actually, I came to apologize for the other day. That's actually when I meant to bother you."

"You're the villain. Why are you apologizing?" She wasn't mad anymore, more like extremely confused.

"You still giving into the 'good guy, bad guy' label? Hmm, and I thought you were different." He could see how uneasy she was. "If you don't like me here, why don't you throw me out?"

"I can't" she barely got out a whisper. _Shouldn't have said that Blaze!_ She screamed inside her head.

"Oh yeah?" X slid down the back of the couch and sat with his feet propped on the coffee table. He patted the seat next to him. Blaze crossed her arms and refused. "Tell me about it."

_What in the blue hell is going on!_ _Why is he sitting in my living room. OUR living room. What's wrong with him?_

"What's wrong with you!" she vocalized.

"Like I said, you don't want me here then kick me out."

"I can't!" yelling was helping with the frustration.

"And why not?"

"My powers are gone because of you!" _SHOULDN'T HAVE TOLD HIM THAT EITHER, BLAZE! SHIT!_

"Oh." he sighed. "Well I can help with that." He stood, facing her.

"_You _can get me my power back?" Her hands were on her hips and she was leaning towards him. She snapped up straight. "Why am I even talking about this with you?"

"To your first question. No, I can't get your power back. But I can teach you to fight. It's suites me just fine. Boy Wonder, too." Blaze scowled. She never thought of leaning to fight. Even Robin hadn't offered to teach her. "He didn't offer, did he?"

"No, because I'm going to get my power back."

Red X sighed, heading back towards the door. "Fine, but if you change your mind, I'll be around."

"Stop stalking me!"

"I'm not. I'm simply observing." He was almost out the door, but turned around once more. "Strange, I rarely just walk out of a place."

Blaze mustered up enough strength te bend the light around the door and force him out.

The Titans came back several minutes later. As they entered through the door Red X was just pushed out of, they saw Blaze curling into a ball behind the couch. Robin rushed over to her. "Blaze, are you okay?" he held her arms firmly. He shook her a bit to knock her from her thought state.

"Why didn't you offer?"

"What?"

But Blaze didn't want to repeat it. She just stood and slowly walked to her room.

**what do you guys think? review please!**

**read on and rock out, xRubyDustx**


	11. Big Brother Knows Best

**Chapter Ten: Big Brother Knows Best**

The air in the tower was too thin for Blaze's liking. She decided to go outside, despite the torrential downpour that had started some time ago. She thought that she would be upset, but she was oddly relieved. Never before had she been able to walk in the rain.

Water was dripping from every inch of her body, but she didn't dare move from her seat on the same rock that Red X had been sitting on before. Everything was so calm, so serene. She had envied that she couldn't get away like this before.

That is, until she noticed the flashes of lightning coming streaming the sky, followed by the enormous sound of thunder crashing after it. Her brothers always were the ones to ruin every moment of privacy growing up.

One strike after another, Thunder and Lightning just weren't going to quit. "Stop it." Blaze mumbled, ignoring the feeling of her cloths sticking to her. Another streak of light and another loud crash. "Stop it!" she yelled. She was looking directly up at the sky, rain drops flooding her vision.

The cloud parted and the rain stopped. "Thank you." she sighed, curling up into a ball. Now that the rain had stopped, her wet state was making her cold. She never had to deal with this feeling before either, but once again, she oddly liked it.

"Don't mention it, baby sister." Lightning was standing on a cloud just above the water, before her very eyes. "We have heard about what happened. Father was not very pleased." he continued, Thunder appearing at his side.

"Yes, well..."

"He was mad enough to take away your ability to use your fire." Thunder spoke. Lightning glared at him something fierce. Apparently he wasn't supposed to say that.

"Father did this to me? He took away my power?"

Lightning shrugged. "That is all we can say."

"Why would he?" she wasn't asking her brothers, more like talking to herself. "It's because I died once, right? Talk to him, Lightning!"

"Baby sister..."

"No, you're his favorite, Lightning."

"Our father does not have favorites." Thunder clenched his fists at his sides. They had had this conversation before, when him and Lightning would bicker about who was better.

"Oh don't be so childish, Thunder. Of course Zeus, the king of all gods, has a favorite. Didn't you ever wonder about his choice of weapon? Lightning bolts?" Thunder always was very emotional. He did the very cliche "took his cloud and went home" move. Lightning remained. "Truthfully, I like you better, too. You were always more fun. Although I probably shouldn't say that, should I?"

"No, but dually noted." He stepped off his cloud and sat on the rock next to her. "I've been watching you."

"Great. Now I have two stalkers."

"Stalkers?"

"Never mind. I guess I should ask why you were watching me."

"At first I wanted to make sure you didn't make the same mistakes Thunder and I did. Then I saw how well you got along with Titans. Robin the most. I must say that I am pleased to no extent that you are getting along so well with our friends."

"My friends now, too."

Lightning nodded. "He was scared." Blaze squinted her eyes at him, confused about his statement. "Father, I mean. That's why he took your power. You know well the consequences that presume if an elemental does cease to exist."

"Yes, I am very aware." Lightning nodded again, not needing to continue with his previous comments. "Isn't this the part where my big brother offers me advice on what to do next?"

"I will talk to father, but he may not agree. I think it would be wise to find some other way of saving people if you wish to remain a Teen Titan."

Lightning stepped on his cloud and waved as he ascended back into the dark clouds still encircling overhead.

Her brother wasn't aware, but he had just helped make up her mind. Tomorrow, Blaze would go slip out of the tower before anyone else was awake to find Red X.

**i'd like to thank The Obssesive Pirate for her faithful and encouraging reviews. thanks!**

**please r&r. it gives one's imagination fuel to write.**


	12. Fighting 101

**Chapter Eleven: Fighting 101**

Blaze could barely see anything, it was so early. To add to the situation, she had no idea where she was going. She was somewhere in Jump City, but she didn't know where. Red X said he'd been around, so where was he know?

"Hey!" Blaze wrenched around and looked down what appeared to be a street. Or and alley. She couldn't really judge the size. Or see anything for that matter. "You taking my offer?"

"Well I certainly didn't come to wonder around aimlessly in the dark." she retorted. There was no reply. Okay, maybe she needed to give him a chance. She strained her eyes to see his outline. He was siting on something? No, there was only one leg. Straddling something? A cycle, she was sure. "What are you doing out here?"

"Best stores shut down their security systems in the morning." Blaze was sure he was sitting on a motorcycle now, she could hear him revving the engine. "You gunna hop on, or just stand there?"

"Haven't made up my mind yet." Her tone was softer than before. Blaze really didn't want to be hostile towards him. X was doing her a favor. But she couldn't get past that he was a thief. "Did you steal that bike?"

"Naw, built it. Come on, we're wasting time." He was right. The sun had slowly started to rise, and Blaze wanted to be back at the Tower before anyone noticed she was missing. She looked up and down the street, unsure of what she was doing. Then she cautiously swung her leg over the side of the bike and leaned into him for support. "Hold on." he revved the engine once more, then took off and a breakneck speed.

Again, Blaze wasn't sure where she was going. Red X had his cycle going so fast, images past in a blurry confusion. All she could make out was the pavement under the bike. "Where are we going!" she yelled. She didn't mean to yell, the situation just called for it.

"You'll see."

If it was possible, he sped up. Blaze was losing her grip. She despised it, but she held on tighter around her waist. The wind whipping her face was unbearable. She closed her eyes tightly, determined not to scream from fright. Red X laid one of his gloved hands on top of hers. It comforted her, strangely.

He stopped suddenly. Blaze was jerked forward even further. X caught her, then pulled her off the bike. "This way." he nodded towards drainage ditch on the side of a broken down building. He ripped away the metal bars concealing it, then hopped down inside.

"Gross!" Blaze squealed. "No way!"

"You wanna learn or not! It's not that bad inside, trust me."

"Inside?" Blaze didn't want to think about what 'inside' was. She jumped down, and followed the thief down the pipe. "Gotta love the smell of sewage in the morning." she kidded, trying to lighten the mood.

"Here we are." There was a red curtain at a another hole in the pipe. Red X pulled it back and held out an arm inviting her to enter first. She refused. "Girls," he muttered, walking past the curtain.

X was right. Inside was better. In fact, it looked relatively new. There were weights perched on the wall along with gadgets that looked similar to Robin's occupying large spaces on the floor.. That was expected though. There was blue mats placed along the floor. The only dingy part that reminded Blaze that she was in a sewer pipe, was the dirt walls and ceiling and the single 100watt lightbulb hanging from a chain in the middle of the ceiling. "Home, sweet home?" she asked, looking through a pile near her.

"You really think I'd live in this dump? Yeah right." he pulled out two folding chairs from a dark corner of the room. "I have an apartment in the city."

"Never take me there, okay?" Red X nodded, not noticing it was a joke.

"Alright. So, you wanna learn to fight?" Blaze nodded. "Then you have something to do for me."

"What?"

"I need your help with a little... let's call it a project." he was sitting in a chair, leaning on his knees.

"You want me to steal something?" Blaze tried but she couldn't pull a shocked expression to her face.

"Don't put it so sour. And no, I don't want to steal something. I want you to borrow something with every intention of giving it back after I pilfer the idea." he stopped, rubbing his hand over the mouth of his mask. "Something... of Robin's."

Blaze was taken back. "So you're using me?"

"Of course not. Well, a little, but I don't want to think of it that way. Look, I'm helping you and you're helping me." He stood up and started circling her, looking her up and down. "I didn't originally offer to teach you for that reason though. It's just one of the perks."

"You know you really are starting to look like a bad guy!" she as disgusted. She couldn't watch as he continued circling her.

Red X didn't seem to hear her comment. "I originally offered because I thought you were different. You don't seem like a Titan. You seem like me."

"And what would that be?" Blaze braced herself. She could tell what was coming.

"A free spirit." he was speaking right into her ear.

Blaze grabbed his wrist and threw him into the wall. She pressed her forearm into his windpipe. "I am not a thief!"

"Welcome to fighting 101." he gasped, shoving her away and kicking her, hard in the stomach. "Rule number one, never put a choke hold on the guy that likes you." the last part faded into a cough.

"What?"

"Never. Try. To. Suffocate. The. Guy. Who's. Teaching. You." he spoke slowly, watching Blaze struggle to get up. He walked over to help her. "First lesson: kicking."


	13. Snap Out Of It

**Chapter Twelve: Snap Out Of It**

Blaze had made it back to her room without running into the other Titans. She was grateful for that as she glanced at her appearance in the vanity mirror. Her hair was mussed and matted, sweat was dripping from her hairline down, and the bruising! She would have to come up with some sort of story to explain the bruising.

For now, she would just change her clothes and braid her hair. Just as she was done tying up the ends of auburn hair when there was a knock on the door. Blaze wanted nothing else but to just ignore it, jump into bed, and sleep the rest of the day, but she knew that wouldn't happen. She slipped on a clean shirt and selected a skirt to wear. While sliding into the mini, she noticed the dark purple circles all over her legs, and chose a pair of jeans instead. Then she answered the door.

Surprise, surprise. It was Robin and he had a concerned scowl across his face. "Hey... uh..."

"Come on," she waved her hand into the room. Robin stepped in as Blaze kicked the side of the wall to slam the air-lock door shut behind him. "Sit." She took her own advice as she shoved her feet into her boots. "What's up?"

_Oh God, _she thought, _Now I've lost the ability to form complete sentences. _

"What's been going on with you?" Robin had noticed her wardrobe was wide open and different clothes selections were spread across the floor. That meant either two things. One, she had just gotten up and couldn't decide what the where. Two, she had been up but had a reason to change her clothes. Robin knew instantly that it was the latter. "It's been... I don't know... weird between us lately. Ever since..."

"Between us?" Had it really been different? Blaze couldn't remember anything before this morning. Maybe that had something to do with the dozen blows to the head she suffered.

Robin must have noticed that she wasn't "all there". He stood and crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at her like a leader would, "I don't know what's up with you but you better get over it. I don't whatever's effecting you to effect the rest of the team." he snapped.

She didn't appreciate that. Not at all. But instead of exploding, she just gently bowed her head and began lacing her boots.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it that way."

"Then what did you mean?" she retorted, not looking away from her chore.

"I meant to say that you're going through something right now, but you can't lock yourself in your room and refuse to go on missions. It's not healthy. Not all is lost. You still have your light bending powers and..."

"That's it. What good is that going to do me?"

"See, you can't do that. You have to be positive about it. Talk to someone. Lost powers may be a first, but we've had other problems..."

"Robin, I know what you're getting at. I promise that I won't lock myself up anymore. I will go on your missions. And, in time, I _will_ get over it." she was staring blankly at him. Her words were hollow, and she knew that he knew they were.

"I just don't want it to be weird anymore." he confessed, rubbing the back of his neck. Blaze noticed that he did that when he was nervous.

"All will go back to normal soon enough. I talked to my brothers the other day. My powers will be coming back soon. But until then, I'll make due." _He_ _didn't want it to be weird..._ Starfire was in the back of her mind.

Robin nodded, aware that she probably wouldn't want to elaborate. He checked the clock next to her bed. Noon. He could practically hear Beast boy's stomach growling. "What're you going to do now?"

"I was thinking of going for a ride. Wanna come?"

"A ride?" he placed his hands on his hips and leaned his head in confusion. "Light screen?"

"No, I was thinking of asking to borrow one of your motorcycles." she smiled.

"Do you even know how to ride?"

"I think I can manage."

Robin faked a smile. "Why don't I go with you. Better yet, I'll drive." He was sad to admit it, but he was more afraid of what she might do to one of his cycles more than what his cycle would do to her.

She grabbed a zip-up from the arm of her couch and poked her arms through. She pulled the hood over her head and added a pair of sunglasses. "Let's rock." she walked out the door before him.

If Robin didn't want it to be weird anymore, it had just gotten weirder. This wasn't Blaze. She wasn't this rebellious. What had happened when she talked to her brothers? A better question would be: what happened before Robin confronted her?

**you're disapointing me guys, . . . we're writers NOT SHEEP! review please! i want some feedback. i'd even accept bad ones. well not accept... but you get the idea. even if the sheep thing stumped you... ask me what it means... SOMETHING!**


	14. The Dream Again

**Chapter Thirteen: The Dream... Again**

Blaze tossed hopelessly in her sleep. She was having the dream again. It had the same content, but was different in setting. This time Robin and Red X were dooking it out in Red X's pipe gym. (That's what Blaze called it, the pipe gym, seeing as it was a gym in a sewer pipe.)

Blaze stood there, unsure of what to do. The two were throwing each other at the dirt walls, beating the pulp out of the other. Blaze tried stepping in between them, but only got knocked out of the way. She had given up. Blaze walked to the entrance, not caring if they killed one another.

She was aware that it was a dream. Certain death doesn't apply to reality in a dream. She made her way through the red curtain and started walking down the pipe. Her footsteps stopped as she could not only feel, but hear a rumbling coming from beyond the curtain. The place was caving in.

"They're still in there!" She took off at a run and found that her suspicions were correct. The pipe gym was caving in and Robin and Red X were stuck under the rubble.

She didn't notice that it was a dream anymore. She had to choose one and fast. She didn't have enough time to save them both, the ceiling was starting to buckle. One step towards Robin, one towards Red X. Who deserved to live more? More importantly, who did she want to live more?

They were both yelling her name. She couldn't decide. The ceiling had started collapsing. She produced her light screen over her head, allowing her not to be hit with any debris. Then she made a b-line towards the two, grabbing a cape and dragging one of them out while listening to the other scream.

It was horrible.

Blaze woke up, knowing this time who she chose. It was Robin. That was the last picture she had dreamt about. His face. She checked her clock, as always, after jerking awake.

3:47 A.M.

Robin wouldn't be awake yet, but this couldn't wait. Not caring about how tired she was, or the fact the she couldn't see, Blaze threw back the covers on her bed and headed towards Robin's room. She had never noticed before, but Robin slept in his costume. He never changed out of it. So when he answered the door fully dressed and sleepy, she was a bit surprised.

"What!" he snapped, yawning widely.

"I...I just..." But she couldn't come up with words. Instead, she just lunged forward and caught his lips with hers. He was startled, but didn't back away.

She did, finally, with a smile perched on her lips. "Everything's back to normal." She panicked. Maybe that wasn't the best thing to do. Robin was staring at her with his mouth gaping open. "Sorry." She didn't really understand what she was apologizing for.

"No... it's just that... well, look." Robin nodded to her lower extremities.

In all her excitement, Blaze had forgotten she had fallen asleep in only her underwear. She stood in front of Robin, blushing something fierce, in only her polka-dot bra and black panties. She wasn't sure of what to do now. She wanted to run away screaming, but couldn't bring herself to do it.

Robin solved her problem for her, unhooking his cape and draping it around her shoulders. She closed it, tight, and turned to go back to her room. She was going to curl back into bed and die.

Robin grabbed her shoulder, positioning her so she was facing him. He leaned in and kissed her once more. "I'll see you in the morning," he whispered, brushing her cheek with his lips.

Then he went back to bed. Like nothing had happened at all. Leaving her standing in the hall, alone and nearly naked.

_Starfire's gunna get a kick out of this_, she mocked sarcastically,_ I just hope she doesn't find out. It'll be like target practice on my ass. _


	15. Confusion State

**Chapter Fourteen: Confusion State**

Blaze didn't go back to sleep that night. She went back to her room, got dressed, and snuck out for her fighting lessons. That, or she was going to tell Red X that the whole thing was a stupid idea and not to stalk her anymore. She wasn't sure which one applied.

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Robin couldn't sleep. What had just happened? He wasn't even close to knowing. He had kissed Blaze. Blaze had kissed him, rather. That part he was certain. For only a brief moment, her lips had touched his. That sent chills up and down his spine feverishly. He still had those chills.

Robin really hadn't kissed her back, though. He was in to much shock. He had brought his lips to her cheek, but that was only to hide his confusion, to keep his cool. He had never felt like this before. It was an warm, tensed, icky feeling and he didn't like it. It was awkward and unnecessary.

He crawled back into bed and closed his eyes. "And she was in her underwear," a smile curved his jaw, "what was _that_ about?"

It was no use. Try as he might, Robin just couldn't go back to sleep. Something felt wrong. Something other than the icky. He swung his feet out from their plush cover and slipped them into his steel-toed boots. Maybe there was something on t.v.

Nothing. The same old cliche of 'hundreds of channels'...

"And nothing to watch." Robin muttered to himself. The darkness and seclusion eased his current sensibility. But that all faded when he saw Blaze walking on top of a glimmer of pink across the water in front of the tower. His eyebrows raised, half in mere puzzlement, half in a blind rage. The latter, he wasn't aware of at the time.

Robin had ran to his room, grabbed his utility belt, and secured it around his waist. He took his helmet from the desk and stuffed it under his arm. He wasn't going to let anything happen to her, not again.

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Robin had been loud in his exploits. Loud enough to wake Starfire from REM. She got up and opened the door just in time to see Robin run past, not noticing she was there. "Robin? What would you be doing awake in such early morning hours?" she yelled after him, but he didn't hear. Or he ignored her.

Starfire flew in front of him, forcing Robin to pay attention. She held him an arm's length away, searching for something in his face. He seemed pained, worried even. Robin didn't worry. He was always so sure of himself. _So... maybe he isn't worried for himself_, Star deducted.

"Starfire! Let me go!" Robin was struggling to break free from her overly strengthened grip.

A tear fell from Starfire's eye. She didn't know what was going on, but now she knew it involved Blaze. Starfire hated this. She wanted to scream. She wanted to hit Robin. She refrained. Instead, she pulled him towards her, pressing herself to him as much as possible. She had her arms wrapped around his neck, holding her elbows. If she didn't let him, he couldn't go. "Do not go!" she yelled into his shoulder.

"Starfire? What's wrong with you?" But Robin didn't need to ask. He knew. But he also knew that he needed to go after Blaze. His bad feeling was about her, and he needed to find out what she was doing to rid himself of it. "Starfire, let go!" he commanded, trying to push her away. A few moments of struggling and Robin admitted defeat. He needed go, NOW! Blaze was probably in the city by now. Or worse, underwater.

Starfire acknowledged him, again bringing him arms length. She didn't want to do this. She didn't like it. But she hated the thought of Robin being with anyone but her. Look how she had reacted when Robin was forced to go to the prom with Kitten, and that was only to save the city. She was jealous, and she admitted it.

Robin put a hand on hers, trying to take a different path other than forcing his way past her. "Starfire, please." he cooed. He was about to do something he knew he would later regret. But Blaze wasn't going to wait. He took his other hand and firmly placed it on Starfire's cheek, brushing away a tear. She leaned the side of her face into his hand and closed her eyes at his touch. Robin leaned in and kissed her. It was soft and warm, but there were no chills. Robin wanted the chills.

He snapped his head back, lowering Starfire's arms. She then, like Robin had hoped, let him walk right past and out the door. Moments later, Star could hear the engines of Robin's cycle revving. She took a new position at the windowpane and watched as he sped away towards the city.


	16. Two World's Collide

**Chapter Fifteen: Two World's Collide**

She was at the outskirts of the city, where Blaze had met Red X before. He usually came to her, so she sat on the stoop of an abandoned building and waited for him to make an appearance. When he didn't, she almost got up and left.

Instead, she felt his gaze. He was somewhere, watching her. Blaze hated when he was did this. It was so creepy! To make it stop, she had to find him. It proved easier than she thought. Blaze spotted a dark alley across from where she was seated. "Olly olly oxen free." Blaze wasn't sure what that meant, but she knew you said it in a game called "hide and seek" to let the other players know you had given up.

"You got what I want?" She heard his mechanical voice.

"You never told me what you wanted."

"I thought it was obvious." He let out a small laugh. "The one thing nobody but Robin has and everybody wants."

"And what would that be?"

"The briefcase."

"Briefcase?" She was straining her eyes to see him. Hearing him, but not getting a visual was making Blaze a little unnerved. Then it hit her. She had heard something about a briefcase. Something about a race to get it. She didn't know what was inside or why Red X would want it, but it must have been important.

His cycle rolled out from the shadows. It's engine was off, and he was dragging it with his feet. "Ready to go?" He asked through his mask, nodding towards the back of his bike.

"She's not going anywhere." Robin's voice echoed through the air.

Blaze froze, fearing of what to do. What was she going to tell Robin. How was she going to explain this? More importantly, she was wearing that skirt she had disregarded on the floor the other day. What was Robin going to do when he saw the bruising?

"You brought Boy Wonder with you?" Blaze couldn't see it, but under his mask, X was raising his eyebrows at her. More in disbelief than confusion.

Robin peeled his helmet off his head and stood in front of her, fists clenched. "I knew something was wrong." His gaze hadn't moved from Red X, still on top of his cycle, but he was directing his voice to Blaze.

"There's nothing wrong." She whispered. He hadn't heard her though.

X swung his leg over the side of his bike to face Robin. "What are you gunna do about it, Bird-boy?" he snickered.

Robin lunged towards his nemesis with every intention of causing bodily harm. "Stop!" Blaze stood, arm outstretched. A pink screen appeared between the two, expanding from quite a distance. "Robin, let's just go. He's not worth it. A common thief isn't worth it."

Robin turned one shoulder to her, but wouldn't turn his back to X. He handed Blaze his helmet and walked slowly towards his motorcycle. "This isn't over, X." he retorted through gritted teeth.

"It never is." X replied, revving his engine and disappearing into the shadows once again.

Blaze wrapped her arms around Robin's waste, tight. Tighter than she ever held onto Red X. Being so close to him, feeling his body warming hers, she couldn't help but wonder. Seeing Red X and Robin together made her think, what if she had saved X in her dream and not Robin? Would she still feel so strongly about Robin? Would calling X a "common thief" made her stomach churn more than it had a minute ago.

"Thank you," she whispered to Robin. He heard her this time, but didn't reply. Blaze decided to forget about it, and left those questions behind her as she and Robin sped back towards the Tower.

**a/n: very short chapter. i get it, but keep in mind it's more of a filler than a chapter. this situation had to arise sometime, right?**


	17. The Spell

**Chapter Sixteen: The Spell**

Blaze knew Robin was mad, but he wasn't admitting it. Instead, he abandoned his leadership skills and was babying her. He even woke Raven to see if she could heal the bruises on her legs. Raven wasn't happy about it, in fact she nearly killed Robin by throwing the door off it's hinges when he knocked, but came anyway.

She could heal the bruises. Some were already healing on their own, that only made it easier for the dark-sorceress's magic. Blaze had instructed Robin to go back to bed, but he refused. He sat next to her on the couch, placing a protective arm around the back of her seat. "Did X do this to you?" Raven asked, waving her hands over certain spots.

Blaze couldn't lie. She knew Raven would know. "Yeah, he did." she sighed.

"If only you had your powers back..." Robin frowned, thinking that she was having a vulnerable moment and pulling her a little closer.

"Well that may not happen, Robin." Blaze barked. Robin wasn't aware, but he had just made an extremely hurtful comment. Blaze knew the reality of her situation. She had lost her powers, and no matter how much her brother pleaded, Zeus wouldn't give them back unless he saw fit. Sadly, she would probably have to return to Mount Olympus for that to happen, and stay there for good.

She didn't want that to happen, but it was inevitable. Though she was getting along alright without her flames, Blaze had noticed that her light screens weren't as strong as they used to be. In time, they to would be gone.

"I think I can help with that." Raven commented, hearing the angry tone in Blaze's voice. "I've been reading a ancient set of scrolls. One of the spells I encountered had something to do with bestowing the power of fire within them."

Robin seemed belated. "It may give you your powers back."

"Let's see these scrolls." Blaze jumped up, not worrying that Raven hadn't finished with her other injuries.

Raven led them to her room. Well, the hallway outside her room at least. She disappeared inside for a moment then came back out holding a large rolled up parchment. "Here," she opened it up, revealing writing in a foreign language.

"What's it say?" Robin asked, slightly nudging Blaze out of the way so he could see.

Blaze pushed back. "It says the fire elemental will come down and bestow a gift on anyone who performs this spell, allowing them to have access to that elemental's power for a determined time."

"Determined time? How can you read that?" Robin searched the text. He was looking for an English version.

"I'm a goddess. I know all languages. How else am I supposed to understand people when they pray to me?"

"People pray to you?" Raven rolled up the scroll and stuffed it under her arm, concealed by her navy cape.

"Well some ancient societies. Tribes mostly." Blaze raised her arms in a 'I-never-really-thought-it-was-a-big-deal' type of way. "I don't know if this spell is going to work, Raven."

"Why not?" Robin was so confused. He just decided to continue asking questions, making it look like he was paying attention, and ask Raven to explain later.

"Because the elemental is supposed to come down upon you. How am I supposed to come down upon myself? I can't be two places at once."

"No, the mortal you can't be in two places at once." Raven shook her head in a know-it-all fashion. She held out her hand and levitated a book out of her room. Still levitating, she opened the book to a certain page then presented it to them. "I read up on elemental when you first came here."

Blaze looked to Robin for a consult. "It's a trust thing." he shrugged. Blaze excepted that and let Raven continue.

"It says here that while in Olympus, elementals are in their raw, pure form."

"Right. An elemental's raw form is it's essence."

"The book also says that an elemental can split it's essence. In a case like this, we'd only need you to spilt into two parts. The only downside is, you have to be in Olympus to split. We'd need you to get up there somehow and..."

"Can I see that scroll?" Blaze interrupted, holding her hand out.

Raven was reluctant, but she let her have it. Blaze unraveled the entire text, skimming it for keywords. "Uh, Blaze?" Robin was staring at her dumbfounded. He was staring at her, though, just in her direction. His gaze was directed towards the back of the scroll, as was Raven's.

"I've never seen that before." Raven also stood, awestruck.

Blaze turned it over, curious to what she might find. There, the whole length of the parchment, was a gold lightning bolt printed into the back. A smile sprouted from Blaze's perched lips and spread like wildfire to her cheeks. She dropped the scroll and took of at a run towards the roof, Robin and Raven struggling to catch up.

She through her shoulder into the door to the roof, after feeling it stick shut. It worked, the door burst open and Blaze ran to the ledge of the Tower. She threw her arms up in the air, light screen forming beneath her and lifting her higher and higher. She started twirling in excitement. "Thank you so much, big brother!" she screamed.

Lightning flashed across the sky like on the hooves of a stampeding stallion. The roar of thunder sounded moments later, and rain started slowly dripping from the sky. Still, Blaze twirled gaining altitude with every revolution. She smiled towards the clouds, and if her essence had been incarnated into a turkey, she would have drowned.

Blaze was going to get her powers back, and this was the happiest moment of her life. Well, a close second, at least. The first being when she had stood in front of Robin, half naked, and kissed him. That was an uncomparable rush. She wanted that rush again.

Robin and Raven came stumbling through the door to the roof, seeing Blaze high over their heads. "Blaze! What's going on?"

Blaze, although extremely high up, had heard Robin yelling. She went to him as fast as her pink screen could carry her. A few feet above him, Blaze's light screen gave out and she was falling through the air. Robin caught her, holding her in his arms. Raven stood in befuddlement.

The other three Titans had heard all the commotion. They, too, had joined the others on the roof, just in time to see Blaze wrap her arms around Robin's neck and pull his lips towards hers.

Starfire's eyes widened. He didn't fight it. He leaned into her, hugging her close to him. Water was dripping down her face, but it wasn't from the rain.

**a/n: the lack of reviews is quite discouraging. i will say that i am not getting to motivation to write like i used to. i need more comments people, more feedback. i except all critism as long as you are polite about it. if i don't start getting more interest, i may stop this story. i'm not sure yet...**

**EVEN IF YOU DIDN'T GET THE TURKEY REFERENCE! ASK! SAY IT WAS STUPID AND I COULD HAVE PUT SOMETHING BETTER! SAY IT WAS HILARIOUS! SOMETHING!**


	18. The Note

**Chapter Seventeen:** **The Note**

They were all soaked through; hair dripping and bodies sagging under the weight of their wet cloths. It had started to downpour, and they had just got off the roof in time before the real storm had hit.

_It's not a bad thing though_, Blaze smiled, hugging her arms around her for warmth. She was watching the storm out of the massive window in the living room. Lightning and Thunder were just having some fun. Celebrating is more like it. They were celebrating for her.

Blaze was oblivious to the stares. Only when Beast Boy voluntarily put a blanket around her shoulders did she turn around to face everyone else. "What?"

"What? What do you mean what? You were out there! You saw it! Heck, you did it!" Cyborg ranted, eyes popping out a little farther with ever word.

Raven shook her head and frowned. The way Cyborg handled things wasn't how she would have preferred. "So... you and Robin?"

"Yes. What about you and Robin?" Starfire snapped, shoving her hands (which had formed fists and were glowing green) at her sides.

Blaze threw her hands in the air, letting the blanket fall to the ground. "Starfire, I...I ..." she looked to Robin, as a way of escaping. She couldn't find him, he wasn't in the room. They were backing her into a metaphorical corner, and she didn't know how to defend herself.

"Woah," Beast Boy jumped in front of her, signaling them to calm down. When he was a member of the _Doom Patrol_, he learned that you should never form more than a friendship with your partners. He still thought that was a good rule. "Hold on guys, Blaze must have an explanation. Right?" He turned towards Blaze, "Right?"

They seemed hurt, somehow. "Why does it matter so much?"

"Because that was Robin!" Cyborg was still going above and beyond on this one. "Robin isn't that type. Robin doesn't... _kiss_... people."

Starfire's eyes had turned green by now. Blaze understood why she was mad, but wasn't so worried about it until now. "I guess he does." Blaze scrunched her face and shrugged. Since when was she supposed to feel guilty about kissing someone? "Get over it."

She picked up the wet blanket and walked confidently to her room.

She didn't make it to her room. The door to Robin's room was wide open and things were flying through the air. "Robin?" Blaze ducked, trying to avoid being hit by the stereo. It hit the wall, denting it, then smashed into pieces on the floor. "What kind of natural disaster happened in here?"

Robin was in a corner, frantically rummaging through a safe. Blaze had never noticed the safe before. When she took a closer look, she hadn't noticed the corner where the safe had been either. That was because it wasn't there before. "A secret room for a safe? That doesn't seem any type of suspicious." She laughed sarcastically.

But when she saw Raven's face, she couldn't laugh. All the color had left his face, and his frown looked as if weights were attached to the sides of his mouth. "Where is it?" he only turned his head in her direction.

"What?" _Second time tonight I'm left clueless._

"Where is it!" He demanded, shooting up and gripping her shoulders tightly. "Where!"

"You're not making any sense," Robin was scaring her, "And you're hurting me."

Robin shoved her away, sticking a letter in her face. She read it to herself:

_Boy Wonder,_

_Told you I'd get the briefcase. Couldn't have done it without my new friend either. Some looker she is, too. I'll tell you, that elemental did a good job of distracting you. The safe was well hidden from some, but not me. I guess I'm not just a common thief after all. Now I'm a thief that knows your secret! Wonder how much someone would pay for this kind of information..._

_Red X_

"What?" _Third and counting..._

"Where is it!" Robin was screaming by now.

"I swear I don't know! I have no idea what he's talking about!" Blaze pleaded, slowly backing away from it. "What was it?" _Five._

"You know! You have to know!"

It hit her. "The briefcase? What was in it?" _Six. _

"You really don't know?" Blaze started to cry. She didn't like Robin feeling this way towards her. He truly didn't trust her in this moment. She shook her head apologetically, feeling like she should be guilty. The shame that washed over Robin face was too hard to bare. She turned away from him. "Blaze, I,"

But he couldn't finish his sentence. The rest of the team had come to find out what all the yelling was about. Blaze ran past them and out of the Tower. She didn't feel welcome there anymore. She didn't feel deserving.


	19. Threshold of Heros and Villains

**Chapter Eighteen: Threshold of Heros and Villains**

She had nowhere to go. It was already mid-morning by now, and the sun was blaring with all intensity. It hit her. She had one place to go, but after that night, she wasn't sure if she was welcome there either. The pipe gym.

Blaze formed her disc below her and rose off the ground a little ways. She knew how to get there, but it was far away. The speed of X's cycle had gotten them to the secret gym in minutes, but she didn't know how long her disc could hold her. Her light bending powers seemed weaker when she was upset, and right now she was very, very upset.

It didn't hold. Blaze had made it about half way, going at a moderate speed so not to hurt herself if it did give out. First her power faded to a point where she could only stand on her tiptoes, then it just disappeared completely throwing Blaze onto the red hot pavement. "Great," she mumbled to herself. She didn't want to get up, it hurt too much.

It hurt. It had never hurt before, but now it hurt. It hit Blaze. Zeus was taking away her powers because he was slowly making her mortal. She begged, pleaded in Olympus to send her back to Earth, to give her hair and skin and her life. She was getting her wish, and much more.

"What are you doing?" Red X was standing over her, shadowing her from the blistering sun.

"Get away from me! It's your fault I'm like this! It's all your fault!" Her hands were cupping her eyes, trying to hide the river of tears freely flowing from them. She stood up and tried to walk away. Red X grabbed her shoulder. "No! Don't touch me!" Blaze whipped around and kicked him, hard, in the stomach. He hadn't expected it and took the full force of the blow.

Blaze watched him double over, then turned to run. Her pace quickened, running no where in particular, just away from here. She was stopped dead in her tracks. "No that wasn't very nice." You could practically here X frowning. His outline appeared in front of her. "Don't you want to know what's inside?" He held the briefcase with one finger, urging her to take it from him.

"No. Just leave me alone."

"Weren't you coming to me?" Blaze backed up a step. "You were heading to my gym, right? I thought that maybe once you saw my little note, you would be curious of what's in the case."

"Well I'm not. And I didn't know where I was going, but now I know I want to get away from you."

"No you don't." he laughed menacingly. He extended his arm and offered her Robin's secrets one more time. "Here. Take it." Blaze shook her head, but she was unsure of herself. At first she reached out, but then clutched her fingers to her palm and resisted. "Fine. You don't have to look." he began walking away, leaving her in the middle of the street. "You're coming, right?"

"Where?"

"Fine, then don't come." X placed the briefcase on the ground then with a mocking gesture, he disappeared before her very eyes.

Everything she ever wanted to know was in that briefcase, she was sure. She approached it carefully, being sure it wasn't booby-trapped or something. Her hands ran over the smooth black leather and the cold, golden locks. She tried to open the locks. They wouldn't budge.

With all the strength she could muster, Blaze took the sunlight streaming off the gold and used that light to add force to the locks. They buckled under the pressure and Blaze ripped the rest off, making sure there was still enough left to secure the lid shut.

She wasn't going to open it, to look inside, she only wanted the satisfaction of knowing she could. That was enough for her. She placed it back on the blacktop and sat down along side it, staring. X appeared again, snatching the case and waiving it in front of her. "Thanks, doll."

"What?"

"Couldn't have opened it by myself. My gadgets didn't work, so I figured I'd try something new."

"So you were using me the entire time?" Blaze screamed, biting hard on her lower lip.

"I couldn't use you if you didn't let me."

Blaze was furious, but he was right. Something about him intrigued her. Something about him made her want to scream at the top of her lungs, but laugh at the same time. Something she couldn't put her finger on.

But she could put her lips on it...

Without thinking, she lifted up the bottom portion of his mask, careful not to raise it too high. He tensed his muscles at this. The only time he was this close to someone else was when he was fighting, so he wasn't used to it. She kissed him, placing her hands gently on his cheeks. He didn't touch her back, keeping a tight grasp on the briefcase.

He pushed her away and yanked his mask back on, turning away from her.

"I'm coming with you." Blaze sounded confused, but had never been more sure.

"No, you don't fit in with me." He growled. X was caught off guard, something that never happened.

"Well I don't fit in anywhere anymore." She threw her hands in the air to help plead her case. "I'm standing at the threshold of heros and villains and I don't know which way to go. Like you."

He didn't say anything, just walked down the street. He didn't object when she followed close behind.

**a/n: (pertaining to the two newest chapters) any OOC characters, sorry, but this is exactly how i wanted my story to go. also, my OC is mary-sue-ish here, but again, it's how i wanted the plot to go. i hope you guys liked it. send me some feedback...**

**read on and rock out**

**Ruby...**


	20. Adrenaline Rush

**Chapter Nineteen: Adrenaline Rush**

Blaze sat perfectly still, staring holes in the back of Red X's neck while silently contemplating the choices she had made. One blink, and she was back in reality. The dirt walls were caving in on her, and she couldn't breath. No, just another day dream. X was directly in front of her, his back turned. He had hardly spoken to her in the few, short days she had been with him.

She had also noticed that he had yet to open Robin's briefcase...

He turned to Blaze, drawing her attention by stuffing gadgets into his utility belt. "You coming?"

"You want me to steal something?" We all know that Blaze couldn't. She couldn't take Robin's briefcase earlier, X had to do that himself, and now he was asking her to do it again. She didn't want to be a thief, but she couldn't necessarily be one of the good-guys either.

"I wouldn't keep you around if I thought you wouldn't be useful." His tone was hard, cold, and uncaring; the exact opposite of Robin's.

She missed Robin. She missed Starfire, although she probably hated Blaze. She missed Raven and Beast Boy and Cyborg, but this was her life now. Blaze decided to stop wallowing in the past and face the future head on. She was going to deal with it. And she was going to do that by helping Red X steal some painting from the city's museum tonight. Blaze stood and confidently nodded, even adding a smile, "I'm in."

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It was dark, but the lights flashing outside the museum, advertizing it's many exhibits, provided more than sufficiently. Blaze, still straddling Red X's cycle, reached out to grab the grapple gun from the back of his belt. He took it from her and aimed towards the roof. Quickly placing an arm around Blaze, seeing as how her light screens were too weak, they ascended upwards.

Once their feet were firmly planted, X threw a red x at the glass dome skylight. The glass silently shattered and fell through the opening on the museum floor. "Ready?" He whispered, nodding towards the red laser beams securing the picture hanging on the wall a little way down the hall.

"Can you make it through that?"

"Kid, you don't know what I can do." Under the mask a smile spread across his face. One second X was in front of her, the next he was standing on the unguarded marble. "You coming?"

He had been asking her that a lot lately. "You coming"? It confused her. She nodded and lowered herself down, X catching her the last couple inches. He placed a finger to where his mouth would have been if the mask wasn't obstructing the view, then nudged her behind a large white column. A museum guard was making his rounds.

Red X crouching low, waiting for the guard to pass them. He noticed the broken ceiling glass, then ran his chubby self under the skylight. X was about to make his move, but Blaze beat him to it. She quickly, and accurately, kicked him in the back of the head. The force wasn't hard enough to kill him, just to make him "sleep" for a while. X was stunned, he hadn't expected that. Blaze shrugged and let out a small giggle. "I had a good teacher." she mocked.

He ignored it, waving his hand toward the room with the lasers. He was signaling her to move on. They walked carefully, so not to disturb anything or make any noise. X, being an expert at this, had more luck with that than Blaze. Her boots would squeak, or her knees would crack every now and then. She'd have to work on that.

The lasers made a small "buzzing" noise when they got close. "Stay here and keep lookout." X whispered, pulling his gloves on tighter. "Watch this." he boasted, but with good reason.

He flipped in and out between the small distances between beams. Expertly and strategically placing his hands and feet in all the right spots, he wriggled his way all the way to the other side. "An alarm should sound as soon as I pluck this thing off the wall." he warned her as he made it to the other side.

He was right.

The earsplitting wale of the alarm sent Blaze crumpling to the ground, blocking her ears. It was torture. The lasers disappeared as the siren rang on, and X was running at her full speed. "Run!" he commanded, pulling her up by her shoulders.

Too late.

The rest of the night guards had heard the commotion and came running, batons in the air. "Good thing they can't carry guns!" Blaze yelled over the alarm. While still hurting, her ears would have to get used to it.

"No doubt they alerted those friends of yours!" X yelled back, dropping the painting and getting ready to fight. "Can't wait!"

"No! Let's get out of here! We'll deal with them another time!"

Red X was in the mood for a scrap, but he didn't want to hold Blaze's end too, since she probably wouldn't want to hurt her former friends. He made a split decision and picked up the painting, grabbing Blaze's hand, and disappearing outside the museum. "Hold this." he shoved the painting in Blaze's face, a little disappointed with the wasted energy.

"How did you do that?" Blaze blinked in amazement. It felt like she had dematerialized and was formed whole again.

"You coming?" He asked grudgingly, revving his motorcycle. "Get on!"

She did, propping the painting between her leg and the side of the bike. She wrapped her arms around X's waist, then closed her eyes to enjoy the adrenaline rush.


	21. Trace Evidence

**Chapter Twenty: Trace Evidence **

Robin crushed small shards of glass with his steel-toe boots, staring up at the broken skylight. The museum had been robbed last night of a worthless painting. All the paintings here were worthless, they were done by local artists. _So why would someone steal something for no profit? _

"Robin," Cyborg waved him to where she was standing. He was fiddling with something on his robotic arm, and simultaneously talking to the museum guard. "Says it was X."

"Wh..." But Robin couldn't get his sentence out.

"There was a girl, too. One without a mask." Cyborg was his normal, loud self. Something was up.

_No, it can't be. It was all a coincidence... _

"Any evidence it was her?" He gawked. Cyborg twisted his arm around so Robin could see too.

"There was a hair sample." One the screen was Blaze's face, smiling with her auburn hair hanging loosely around her shoulders.

"Raven!" Robin yelled, quickly searching for the sorceress. "RAVEN!" He yelled louder. There was no scale in the world that could measure how thoroughly pissed Robin was at this point.

"I'm right here!" Raven retorted back, hovering over the ground inches away from his turned back.

"Can we still do the spell?"

"What?"

"The spell! Can we still do it?"

"We need Blaze up in Olympus... but yeah. Why? This wasn't her, was it?"

Robin didn't answer. His head slowly found it's way into a slight nod, fists tightly clenched. "This is because of her powers. If she still had them, she'd be with us."

"You mean with you?" Beast Boy came up behind them. He realized he didn't think before he said it, morphed into a mouse, and hid behind Cyborg.

Robin's face went red, but not with rage, with embarrassment. "No, I mean us." he spat.

Starfire in through the skylight and landed next to him. "There are the tire marks on the pavement. Is that something?"

Robin shook his head. The sight of Starfire made him calm down, more and more. "I don't think so. We know X travels on a motorcycle."

"How do we know it was the Red X?"

Robin forgot that he hadn't told anyone about the other night. Only Raven knew, and that was because Blaze told her. "I'm positive, Star. It was him and Blaze."

Starfire cringed at the name, but swept Robin up in a tight hug. "We shall save her." she whispered but it was still loud enough for everyone to hear. Starfire didn't want to say it, but no matter how much Starfire didn't like her right now, Blaze was still her friend.

"I don't know if she can be saved." Raven hung her head.

"But we can try." Cyborg chipped in, a smile quickly spreading across his face, "I ran a scan on the hair strand I found. There are traces of sewer water and dirt molecules. A couple traces of pipe, too. Old pipe. They don't build with this stuff anymore. "

"What's that mean?" Beast Boy morphed back to normal and was scratching his head. He was being just as clueless as always. Raven gave him a small slap on the head for it.

"It means that she's still in the city," Cyborg informed. "This says

"No, not in. Under. Her and X are in the sewers." Robin, too, began to smile. "Raven, you and Starfire head back to the Tower. See if you can find a way to get Blaze to Olympus. Beast Boy and Cyborg, you come with me." Robin placed his motorcycle helmet on his head and swaggered towards the doors of the museum.

"Road trip!" Beast Boy jumped in line next to him,"Where are we going?"

"To the old part of town. Where everything is full of holes and dirt. Like the sewers."

"EWWWWW!" Beast Boy screamed. He stopped and had to be carried out of the museum, kicking and screaming.


	22. Surprises

**Chapter Twenty One: Surprises**

Tick... tick... tick... tick...

_What is that noise!_ Blaze was so tired. She had a late night last night, what with the burglary and all, and just wanted to sleep. That incessant ticking was driving her crazy! She didn't know where it was coming from, but if she had to get up and find the source she was sure to smash it to bits. Fortunately for him, X had gone home. His real home. Where he wasn't Red X the thief, just a regular person.

Tick... tick... tick... tick...

"Goddam it!" Blaze screamed, jumping up from her cot she used as a bed. She rolled onto her feet and began searching. Under mats, behind the weights, in the pile of weapons, nothing. She couldn't find it. "I swear, when I find you I'm gunna..."

"Who are you talking to?" Apparently X hadn't gone home.

"What the hell is that ticking?"

There was silence... Red X was listening for it, too.

Tick...tick..tick, tick, tick, tick...

There was a loud explosion, bringing down one of the dirt walls. X, out of instinct, hit the ground and pulled Blaze down with him. Once the dust and rubble settled, X stood and patted himself off. "Shit. What was that!" His voice was raspy. Well, more raspy than usual.

Light filtered in through a huge hole in the wall. Something, a bomb of some sort, had gone off on the street and had blown through the pavement. Robin was standing on the other side of the street. He didn't say a word, just clenched his fists and lunged at Red X.

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Raven phased through the walls of the Tower, so not to waste time. She knew it wouldn't be long before the boys had gotten to the old part of the city, so she had to hurry. Without thinking, she led Starfire into her room and started pulling books off a shelf with her powers.

"Don't just stand there! Look!" Raven almost lost control of her emotions. She held it back, though, as she was used to.

"What are we looking for?"

"A book. A big black one, with red letters. There was a transportation spell in there somewhere. I think it would be powerful enough to transport Blaze to Olympus without her consent."

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Blaze sprang up in her bed. "Ohmygod." she breathed heavily. Sweat was dripping down her forehead and she was finding it hard to catch her breath. "It was just another dream. Oh, thank God." She proceeded to pull the covers over her head and plop back down in the horizontal position.

"Get up. I gotta tell you something." X had thrown something at her, not sure of what it was.

"No!" she protested. "I'll I want to hear is complete silence." Blaze was still unusually tired.

"Too bad, get up!" He kicked her in the side, not to hurt her, to wake her up.

Blaze was thrown from her cot. Now she was face down on a blue mat. She pushed herself up and dusted herself up. "Okay, I'm up. What is it?"

Blaze looked at him, seeing that he was holding the painting they had stolen the night before. "This is for you." he threw it at her.

"But _you_ wanted to steal it."

"It's not worth anything. It was a test."

"Test?"

"To see if you could actually do it or not. Actually, you surprised me."

"And you have yet to surprise me." Blaze looked down at the watercolor painting in her hands. "If this was game, I'd think I'd be winning."

"I never lose." And X did something Blaze never would have thought he would do. He reached around the back of his head and firmly grabbed the end of his mask, peeling it off his head. Blaze dropped the painting, not caring that it splintered into pieces at her feet.

She stared at him for a while, trying to figure out if this was still a dream, too. But it couldn't be because when Blaze tried to take a step towards him, a sharp pain entered through the bottom of her foot. She had stepped on the painting she had just broken. "Ow!" she screamed, shifting the weight from her foot.

Blaze took one last, long look into Red X's dark brown eyes before the black cloth covered them again. "I win." He mumbled, making his way out of the pipe gym. "You coming?"

He had asked this question so many times. Now Blaze was certain of the answer. "Absolutely."

**Author's Note:**

**who saw that coming? seriously? i mean, i didn't even see that coming until i typed it. OOC here, but again... fits in with the story line. ending is coming up reeeeal soon. are you excited? i know i am!**

**Ruby...**


	23. Revised Ending

**Author's Note:**

okay...i really didn't like how it ended last time. like i said, that's not how i envisioned it. this is, however, and i think it is much better. i want to thank The Obsessive Pirate for thier honest opinion. You have been a loyal reviewer and had no problem telling me that i sucked. i thank you because i did suck in that last chapter, and i appreciate you telling me because it helps my writing. i like when my readers push me, and you were doing just that. again, thanks. and UPDATE your story! lol. i really want to see what happens next!

until next time...

Ruby

keep on rockin', lovelies!

**Chapter Twenty Two: The End**

Raven had set up candles and other magic items in a circle around her room. "Okay. I can do the rest by myself. Go find Robin and tell him I'm ready." Raven instructed, crossing her legs and levitating in the circle.

"I shall return with Robin's word." Starfire nodded, heading out of the tower again.

Raven turned to face the wall, which had a lightning bolt painted on it, and began chanting. The room turned white and Raven was engulfed in a pink light. This was a sign it was working.

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Blaze didn't know where she was going until she saw it. Titan Tower. "X!" She screamed over the engine of his motorcycle. "Where are we going?!"

"Don't worry, Princess." He snickered.

He hadn't called her "Princess" since the first day she had met him. Then it was a mocking remark. Now, there was a comfort in his voice. She didn't like it. X was letting his guard down and she didn't want that.

Now she understood the difference between Red X and Robin. She _loved_ Robin. She_ lusted_ Red X. The bad guy versus the good guy. The good guy usually wins, and this time he was.

That didn't matter anymore. She couldn't have Robin. Not after what she had done, or what Robin thought she had done. He thought she stole his prize possession, the briefcase. In a way, she had.

She also hadn't opened it, thinking of this.

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Robin, Cyborg, and Beast Boy had found the pipe gym. Beast Boy, who was very reluctant to go down first, transformed himself into a mouse and scurried along as fast as his little feet would carry him. "There's nothing there. Just a cot, a few chairs, and a 50 watt lightbulb.

Robin scratched his head. This had to be where Red X had his "hideout", it had to be. What was he going to do now?

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A dizzy sensation overcame Blaze as they were speeding the last couple miles to Titans Tower. "X..." She sighed. Then she fainted, falling off the bike and skidding into the river. The water turned crimson around her, that told her she was now completely human. Not mortal, but human. Her skin was torn in many placed from hitting the road, but there was something under it. Muscle or something.

Blaze watched as her essence was lifted from her body. In a panic, Red X skidded to halt on his cycle and jumped off before coming anywhere near a stop. He rushed to her aid and picked her limp body out of the water.

_What's happening!? _Blaze panicked, floating higher and higher. _Oh God, what's happening?! He needs to get me to the tower!!_

She screamed over and over, but no one could hear her. As if he had, though, Red X disappeared into thin air and re-appeared again in front of the chanting Raven. "Place her in the circle!" Raven yelled, still directing the light show. "Do it! Now!" X did as he was told.

Blaze couldn't see anymore beyond the clouds. All of a sudden, pain stuck her essence like never before. It ripped at her fire and tore at her being. She was divided in two, a literal split personality.

A yellow orb floated next to her. Followed by a blue one. _Don't fight it, baby sister. _The yellow one spoke. Lightning's words were comforting, but could not dull the pain. Blaze stopped fighting, but felt the raging suffering all the more. The split was finished, and everything grew numb. Blaze looked at herself for a moment, stared at her own essence. Then, the identical pink orb started bouncing about erratically and disappeared underneath the puffs of moisture.

_Well... you want your body back, don't you? _Lighting's voice chimed.

_Go after it! _Thunder continued, laughing with a loud "boom".

Her essence dove underneath the clouds and saw that her dividend was heading towards her body. She raced after it, knowing that her essence had to be in the body before her powers could enter. She descended so fast that the pink orb of gas turned into a fiery ball.

Blaze was back in her body, and in extreme amounts of pain from her torn skin. Her powers made it second later, hitting her squarely in the chest and squeezing through her human molecules. She was an elemental again.

Blaze opened her eyes and tried to adjust to the feeling of being whole. Her taunt flesh stuck to her in a burning tinge, but she felt comfortable. "How long?" She shakily asked, sitting up and observing her surroundings.

"Life." Raven nodded, collapsing on the floor from all the pressure of holding Blaze's essence.

"A elemental's life?"

Raven nodded, pulling her arms under her head. Never had magic been so tiring for her. "I was afraid you weren't going to make it. I sent Starfire, but she wasn't fast enough."

"Thank goodness for X," Blaze turned, but no one else was in the room.

"He left after you came back."

"Good." Blaze sighed. She didn't know why Red X wanted to come to Titans Tower in the first place, but she was glad she didn't have to know. "He was taking me home..." She whispered, not knowing what she was saying.

"What?" Raven hoisted herself up to match Blaze's position.

"Nothing. Where's Robin?" Blaze felt the energy of twenty elements and leapt to her feet, ready to run to him.

"Looking for you."

"Raven! I couldn't find her!" Robin came running in the room, followed by the rest of the Titans.

Blaze ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck and letting him hoist her up. "You have perfect timing!" Confused, he dropped her and held her at arm's length. "Robin, I'm sorry...I didn't...I don't..." Of all the things she wanted to say to him right now, she didn't know how to phrase them.

"Don't. I know you didn't steal the briefcase. There was nothing in it anyway." The side of Robin's face curved into a smile.

"There wasn't? But you got all mad and..."

"It was stolen once before. There was this big huge race over it and...I forgot I took all that stuff out of it."

"Then what was in it?" The rest of the Titans backed away, knowing well what was in the briefcase before.

"I should have told you..." Robin's smile slid off of his face. His hand moved from her shoulder to the side of his mask. "I should have shown you the real..."

Blaze jumped, "Wait! Don't touch the mask!" she screamed, batting his hand from his face. "I already know the real you, I don't need to see what you look like."

Robin was shocked. This time it was his turn not to know what to say. Instead, he leaned forward and let his lips brush the side of her cheek. He then threw an arm around her shoulder, pulling her weight into his, and led her out into the kitchen where Cyborg was ordering pizza. "Training tomorrow morning? Your skills must be a little rusty."

"Rusty! I could kick your ass all the way to Japan and back!" She laughed, pushing him away but quickly grabbing his hand. His fingers laced with hers as he walked over and turned on the stereo.

"Yeah? We'll see about that. Actually, I'd like to teach you a couple things. You know, in the fighting department."

Starfire stared at the two of them with intense, tearing eyes. Blaze, however, didn't care anymore. That's when it hit her. Blaze realized she wasn't the same naive fire elemental that she was about a little more than a year ago. She had evolved from all that. She learned not to rely on her powers so much, and learned how to fight. Her evolution was due to one man, and that wasn't the man she was hanging onto now. She may have loved Robin, but at the same time she couldn't let herself. Or she wouldn't. She wasn't sure of that anymore.

The frown was apparent on Blaze's face, no matter how hard she tried to fight it. She ate pizza, something that didn't taste the same, then went to bed at 6 PM.

Curled on her couch, blanket wrapped around her shoulders, Blaze starred out the window. A familiar black figure appeared on the rocks, like Blaze was hoping he would. She ran to her wardrobe, stuffed all the cloths she had into a bag, then pulled a note from her pocket.

Robin,

I love you.

Goodbye.

She didn't know what else to say, so she left it simple. He would know what she meant, and that's all that mattered. Adding one last glance at the room she had lived in for so long, Blaze switched off the lights and closed the door behind her.

The wind whipped at her neck as she felt the familiar sensation of speeding down the streets of Jump City. She rolled her head to bury her neck in the collar of her jacket. Blaze couldn't heat her head because she was too preoccupied with focusing her essence in her arms, which were tightly wrapped around Red X's waist.

She knew that this wouldn't last either, and one day she would leave X just like she left Robin. For right now, she wanted to learn all she could before toughing it out on her own.

End!


	24. Author's Note

Author's Note:

I just wanted to let you guys know that i WILL be doing a sequel to this story. although i struggled through the end... i had a really great time writing it and would like that experience all over again.

i am, however, not sure when i will start the sequel. when i do, i'll post another note here.

also, i've asked a friend to help me write the next one... whether they will do it or not is totally their decision... and i'm waiting for a response to that...

until next time...

Ruby


End file.
